Politicians sponsoring banditry, insurgency, says Masari

By FRANCIS SARDAUNA

The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has attributed the prevailing cases of banditry and Boko Haram insurgency bedevilling northern Nigeria to the activities of some politicians who want to contest the 2023 general election.

He said such politicians believe that by sponsoring violence and other acts of criminality, they would be blackmailing the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in order to contest in the forthcoming general election.

Masari, who spoke during an interactive meeting with ward and local government chairmen of the state All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday, said most of the bandits and Boko Haram attacks in the country were sponsored by some politicians.

He explained that the Nigerian military and other security agents were doing a tremendous job of ridding the country of insurgency and banditry, saying the scourge continued due to the inability of other critical stakeholders to support the ongoing war against the hoodlums.

He said If the other stakeholders were doing half of what the military is doing in the area of security in the last five years, Nigeria would have attained the much needed peace.

Governor Masari, however, warned APC officials in the state who are canvassing for political positions in the forthcoming election to desist or face sanction from the party.

He said that sectional politics currently being played in the state over 2023 governorship election was capable of dividing and harming its citizenry.

The governor reiterated that politicking at this period would derail the APC administration in fulfilling pledges made to the electorate in the 2019 general election.

He therefore, called for vigilance especially by leaders of the party who live in the rural communities, saying it was their responsibility to inform security agencies of suspicious characters or movements.

“The military and the police cannot do it alone, they don’t have the numbers, neither do they have all the equipment required to complete the fight alone. Community members have all that it takes to inform and support the fight against insecurity,” he added. (THISDAY)